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Sunday, December 20, 2009

Yesterday we took an ITT trip through the base to Salzburg, Austria. We had to get up super early because the tour bus left at 0430 in the morning! We had a great surprise when we woke up though it was snowing, so we got to see the first snow in Fontanafredda this year! Last year it didn't snow until Christmas, so we got it a week early and twice as much as last year! We'll see how long this last though. It is super cool to look out the window and see such a beatiful white world. The snow really covers up the imperfections of our world and truly makes it magical! At least for me who grew up in Arizona and it never got this cold!

Well enough about the snow and how amazing it is LOL.

Our trip was so much fun, even though we had to leave super early in the morning. We kinda slept (as much as you can in uncomfortable bus seats) until we reached our first stop (so we could stretch our legs and use the facilities of course). Our first stop was just inside the border of Austria and it was a resort style hotel with a super yummy restuarant. It was dark and cold and we didn't think to take pictures. We had breakfast here and it was super yummy! When we were done we were on our way to our final destination of course.

After another couple of hours of driving we finally made it to Salzburg, Austria. This is where the Christmas Market is (and a lot of the movie The Sound of Music was filmed here and the surrounding areas). We were given a briefing of where we would be dropped off and picked up and shown to the center where the market begins, where the fortress was, and told that the abbey from the Sound of Music was near by and then told when we would depart. Once we got near the center I of course started taking pictures LOL. The town is just too beautiful not too and I didn't take as many as I normally would have because I was super cold and so amazed by all the things goin on around us that honestly I just forgot, but don't get me wrong I still got quiet a few good ones. Ok now for the pics and I'm sure I'll write a ton more with them!

The fortress from our drop off/pick up point. We ran out of time so we're going to have to visit again so we can take the tour (which is like 90 minutes long).

This was on our walk up to the market. I believe there are 32 churches in just the Salzburg area alone.

I'm not really sure about this one but I believe the gold sphere is suppose to be the moon. I'm going to have to google this one.

Different views of the Cathedral and the statues in front of it. The market is held in many of the surrounding squares, so in front of this church is some fun shopping and yummy food.

This guy totally creeped the hubby out...I don't think he realized he was a person at first!

Who knew Mozart just stood in the streets holding boxes of chocolate?

Another church...

The red bull is actually significant to the Austrians. It has to do with when the fort was under attack and they painted the same bull to make it look like they had a lot of cattle so the people attacking them thought they had a sufficient amount of food when the didn't.

The hubby was way amused by the drunk either Austrians or Germans trying to rid the tiny merry go round...it totally almost fell over and they were singing and laughing the whole time!

Some neat signs...

Across the river....

Mozart's House which we walked by twice and then found on accident...our map kinda sucked!

Pretty random doorway.

The hubby thought the gortex horses where soooo funny and I had to take pictures of it.

The fountain from the sound of music (we'll have to go back when its not winter to get a better picture of it).

Just interesting things we found walking around....

Weird random art...it is kinda cool though....

View walking up to the abbey...I think my camera started fogging over!

Random views most people haven't seen of the abbey from the Sound of Music.

The entrance way made famous from the Sound of Music.

This is what inside the gates look like....

Corina and I by the famous gates! We both love the movie The Sound of Music and want to go back for the tour that is held in Salzburg! Also the interior of the abbey wasn't used for the movie. That part was done in the Hollywood studios but the exterior was shot from this abbey and is now famous because of that movie!

Overall it was a super fun trip even though it was freezing! Like 14 degrees and snowing the whole day! We can't wait to go back when its warm and site see a bit more!!